Now Reading: Eggs in mid-day meals: Indians may need more animal protein
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Eggs in mid-day meals: Indians may need more animal protein
A commissioner of the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission writes in Hindustan Times that the controversy over eggs in mid-day meals distracts from India's broader protein gap. The NFHS-5 shows poor dietary diversity, especially…
The Story in Brief
A commissioner of the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission writes in Hindustan Times that the controversy over eggs in mid-day meals distracts from India's broader protein gap. The NFHS-5 shows poor dietary diversity, especially among poorer homes. The Commission recommends moderate animal-source foods for a healthy, sustainable diet: 15g red meat, 30g poultry, 30g fish and 15g eggs per adult per day, but stresses these are flexible population targets. Eggs are a cost-effective way to improve children's nutrition where culturally acceptable, the article argues. India's red-meat consumption is low globally, but intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes also trails world levels.
The Indian Opinion
The egg debate is too often framed as nutrition versus tradition, missing the point that both sides have merit. The real hypocrisy is governments asking citizens to cut meat for the planet while ignoring industrial pollution and forest loss. Policy should focus on giving people affordable, diverse choices, not on moralising about diet. The true test: will school meal guidelines expand options or just replace one rigid menu with another?
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
